A major concern for immobile patients and like persons are medical conditions that form clots in the blood, such as, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and peripheral edema. These conditions associated with patient immobility may be controlled or alleviated by applying intermittent pressure to a patient's limb, such as, for example, a leg to assist in blood circulation. Such compression devices are typically constructed of two sheets of material secured together at the seams to define one or more fluid impervious bladders, which are connected by tubes to a source of pressure for applying sequential pressure around a patient's body parts for improving blood return to the heart.
Shortcomings of such devices are numerous. Typically, such devices require tubing, which present a tripping hazard and are inconvenient to use and manage. Additionally, such devices typically lack true portability. Conventional pumping systems are usually dependent upon an AC power source and too bulky to provide a patient meaningful opportunity to travel while using the system. Furthermore, conventional devices cause discomfort to a patient by preventing or severely limiting circulation to the patient's wrapped limb. As a result, patients often complain of sweat, soreness and general discomfort of the limb. Moreover, conventional systems obtain pressure readings at the inlet port, which does not necessarily provide an accurate measure of pressure at the most remote parts of a bladder. Thus, the requisite pressures may not be achieved at such remote parts of the bladder during pumping.
The invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems and solving one or more of the needs as set forth above.